Radio Control: Aerobatics
THIS WAS threepeat for a Nats at Lawrenceville, Illinois: the 1990 and 1991 Nats were also held there. In fact, it was the fourth consecutive year that a major RC Pattern contest had been held at Lawrenceville, since the 1992 N-PAC (NSRCA Pan American Championships) were held there too. It's not surprising that the site is a popular one for competitors. The runway is smooth and wide, and there are no trees for a long distance from the runway.
Radio Control: Aerobatics
LISTEN! The 1993 Nats will return to Lawrenceville! That's good news. Tony Stillman called to tell me that he'd accepted the job as Pattern Event Director, and that's good news, too. The Nats will be July 17-25. A pattern-judging training session will be held on Sunday the 18th. Pattern competition will commence on Monday the 19th and finish on Friday the 23rd. As in the recent past, there will be two sessions each day, with the morning session running from 8:00 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m. and an afternoon session from about 1:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
SQUARE ONE. When beginning Pattern fliers ask for advice, One of the points that I emphasize is the importance of reading and understanding the AMA rule book. After all, the only way to do well at anything is to know what is expected of you. Pattern flying is no different. The rule book tells us what to do and what not to do. Part of the rule book includes the section entitled "AMA RC Pattern Judges' Guide." The Guide describes how each maneuver is to be done and the infractions which should result in downgrades. One of my pet peeves is the judging of the Cuban Eight. Many, if not most, fliers do not fly 45º downlegs. Most downlegs are only 25º to 30º from the horizontal. Inexperienced and experienced judges give good scores for fliers who fly maneuvers with such shallow downlegs, probably because so many fliers do the Cuban Eight that way.
1986 Nats: RC Aerobatics
EXCLUDE THEM! The results of the 1986 Nats FAI Pattern event demonstrated once again that the United States needs tighter control of persons entering into the country across its northern border. Ivan Kristensen from Ontario, Canada won the FAI Pattern event for the third time in the last four years-and the other time he was second to Chip Hyde at the 1984 Reno Nats. Very impressive flying. The Nats returned once again to the old runway at what used to be Chennault AFB near Lake Charles, LA. Previously, the 1974, 1975, and 1978 Nats have been held at this same site. It may well be the last time that a Nats can be held there, since the Boeing Co. is going to establish an aircraft rework facility at the field and will be using the old bomber runway that makes the site so popular to modelers.
Radio Control: Sport and Aerobatics
AS YOU RECEIVE this column, the Nats should be in full swing. Many fliers will be competing in a Nats for the first time. That brings up a curious point: for some fliers, a Nats is their first contest. That's fine, because the Nats is an open contest. It is open to anyone who wants to compete. This point is lost on many fliers; they think that only the best are allowed to compete at the Nats. I am often asked to compare the quality of flying at a Nats with that in many of the local contests I compete in. My response often surprises people: "You see the best and the worst at a Nats." The point is often argued that the best fliers in the United States don't win the Nats, because the best fliers can't get there for various reasons. That may be true, but the top 10 Nats winners can compete with anyone in the country.
